Forgiveness and Reparations
by XxFallingFeathersxX
Summary: Bluestar has died and has realized all of her mistakes, and must correct at least one before she can rest.


**I KNOW I need to work on 'Storm' and 'Sky' before I start uploading other stuff. God, do I know. I feel so bad letting all you guys wait and suffer while I'm cranking out new stuff, haha! ^^;; But this is a one-shot! It was inspired by the song 'Prove It' on YouTube by Blixemi (FABULOUS PERSON BTW) with Swiftpaw and Brightpaw... And I couldn't even sleep this idea kept gnawing at me.**

 **The next couple chapters of Storm and Sky are coming, I promise! Thank you all for staying loyal!**

 **SO without further ado!**

 **EDIT: It was brought to my attention that I accidentally put Moongleam instead of Moonflower for Bluestar's mother...OOPS Moongleam is one of my OCs and when I checked online for some reason i read it as Moongleam? I guess? Haha oops X3 but I fixed it now!**

 _"We'll get help for you! Hold on—just a bit longer!"_

 _Bluestar looked past her deputy. Broad brown shoulders stretched across the sky, and deep eyes full of love gazed down at her. "Oakheart," she rasped. "Have you come for me?"_

 _His wide head nodded once._

 _"I'm ready," she whispered, closing her eyes._

 _"Bluestar, don't leave us!" Fireheart begged._

 _"I must," she whispered. "I have fought my last battle. I knew my Clan was loyal. I knew StarClan had not turned their backs on us. I knew…that I could not leave you to face the danger alone."_

 _Oakheart came closer, touching his nose to her head, unseen by all but herself. "We must go, my love," he whispered. "It is time."_

 _"You will be Firestar, light of ThunderClan," she breathed, and relaxed. Her spirit rose and padded with Oakheart. She glanced back at her body, strewn on the river. Mistyfoot keened. The three cats were frozen with grief. She turned to Oakheart._

 _"I'm ready," she repeated. He touched his nose to hers._

 _"I will find you in StarClan," he whispered. "There is something you must do first."_

 _And the ground pitched away from under her._

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Bluestar felt like she was falling, falling, further and further, further than the gorge was deep, further than the sky was long. She let out a long breath—this was dying?

Her paws touched down softly, but it was a sharp enough feeling that her eyes flew open and her heart jumped. She was standing in star-strewn grass, a warm breeze curling around her, lifting her fur and singing in her ears. She looked up. _StarClan._

"Oh, my lovely kit."

She spun, and her heart soared. Moonflower was there, Moonflower and Stormtail, standing there and waiting for her. Bluestar rushed forward and thrust her muzzle into her mother's fur. She was purring so loudly she could barely hear her parents mewing in her ears.

"You did so well, my love," her mother murmured. "You lead ThunderClan as well as any cat could have dreamed."

A new grief sank into her bones. "But—I messed up—so much," she choked out, throat suddenly tight with emotion. Stormtail licked her ears fiercely.

"No cat could have done better," he insisted.

"But—Tigerstar," Bluestar whispered, pulling back and staring in distress at her parents. "Tigerstar is still out there. He tried to kill my Clan. He…" She shook her head, losing her words. "If it wasn't for my mistakes…"

"Tigerstar would have been the same whether or not you two had crossed paths," her mother murmured. "That is Thistleclaw's mistake, not yours."

"Is my Clan safe?" she begged. Stormtail's gaze softened and he touched his muzzle to her head.

"Fireheart is going to lead your Clan for countless seasons," he promised, "and make them stronger than ever. Tigerstar cannot put out the fire that blazes in the heart of your deputy."

Bluestar felt a rush of hope. Of course. Fireheart was strong—that was why he had joined the Clan seasons ago. He would be a mighty leader.

Then something else occurred to her. Something that made her feel so sick she wondered if she was really in StarClan, or if she even deserved to walk these woods.

"I need—to find someone," she whispered. Moonflower nodded knowingly. Stormtail glanced at his mate, confused.

"Find who, darling?" he asked. Moonflower's eyes sparkled.

"Someone I need to apologize to," Bluestar sighed, staring over her shoulder into the trees. "Someone who didn't deserve anything I did to him."

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He was hunting when Bluestar found him.

She hung back, scared, unsure what to say, unsure what to do. He pounced on a mouse and killed it with one quick bite, purring with delight as he stood up with his catch. Her heart throbbed and her head spun—was she even breathing? Paws shaking, Bluestar almost tucked her tail and ran. She would not be surprised if he chased her all the way to the Dark Forest.

He turned, and the black and white apprentice didn't seem at all surprised to see her behind him. The world tipped dizzily.

"Swiftpaw," she managed, barely more than a breath. A million things spun through her head. _It was Tigerstar's betrayal. I wasn't in my right mind. I was sick. I…_

And in the end, all Bluestar could do was hang her head and choke out, "I'm so sorry."

He was quiet for a long time, and then he padded forward, leaving the mouse in the leaf litter. She felt his warm breath on her ear, and his nose touched her head.

"I'm not mad, Bluestar," he murmured. She anxiously raised her head. His wounds were gone, his pelt thick and fluffy. His eyes shone.

"I'm not mad," he repeated. "It was my destiny. Besides, Brightpaw survived to carry on my memory."

 _Oh, poor, poor Brightpaw. That awful name I gave her. She must hate me too. She and Cloudtail. Cinderpelt. Bramblepaw. Tawnypaw. My entire Clan…what have I done?_

"Bluestar, you mustn't fret," Swiftpaw soothed, tipping his head. "StarClan called me home, and whether it was by the dog pack or by something else, it would have happened. Please don't blame yourself. I was hot-headed and angry."

"You wouldn't have been angry if I had _realized_ just how much you and Brightpaw had grown," Bluestar gasped, sitting down like her legs couldn't hold her any longer. "If I had not been so blind in my total rejection of… _everything_ , I could have _seen_ …"

"I'm not angry," Swiftpaw insisted, brushing up against her and purring. "Please, Bluestar, do not blame yourself."

She took a deep breath and touched her nose to his head. "I…I picked out a warrior name for you," she whispered into his fur. "Before I heard of…what happened. Some rational part of me was thinking about you and Los—Brightpaw," she caught herself. _I will never use that name again as long as I survive in StarClan._ "Brightpaw was going to be Brightheart, for her spirit and her loyalty, and her fierce love for all. And you…you would be Swiftrunner." _For Runningwind. For your agility. For your speed of spirit._

Swiftpaw looked up excitedly. "Swiftrunner," he whispered aloud, eyes shining.

Bluestar touched his head. "I, Bluestar," she began quietly, "leader of ThunderClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice."

Swiftpaw gasped with excitement.

"He has trained hard—harder than most," she added with a soft purr, "to understand the ways of your noble code, and now I commend him to you as a warrior well past his turn." She trained her weary eyes on his shining face, his mouse forgotten. She could hear bracken rustling, pawsteps approaching, as cats of StarClan began to assemble around them.

"Swiftpaw," she mewed softly. "You have shown incredible bravery, kindness, quick thinking, and have shown time and time again that loyalty is everything. Do you promise to watch over your— _our—_ Clan for countless seasons, doing as you must to keep their paws on the right path?"

"I do," he breathed. "I do!" Swiftpaw's voice rose to an excited cry.

"Then from this moment until the end of StarClan," she meowed, "I christen you, Swiftrunner. I will forever honor your bravery, kindness, and loyalty, and StarClan welcomes you." She touched her nose to his head. "Swiftrunner," she whispered.

"Swiftrunner!" Moonflower and Stormtail padded from the bushes.

"Swiftrunner!" There was Snowfur, Tawnyspots, Redtail.

"Swiftrunner!" Runningwind!

"Swiftrunner!" Stonepelt, Crookedstar, Sunstar, Goosefeather, Featherwhisker, Yellowfang, even tiny Mosskit!

His name rose and rang through the trees. Swiftrunner raised his head proudly, looking about to burst, as the other starry cats surrounded him. Bluestar slipped away, padding back through the trees.

She had one last thing to do.

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Sitting on a rock, staring down into the river, she willed herself to see into ThunderClan's camp. The water swirled and cleared, and she had a bird's eye view.

Fireheart was delivering the news with a hanging head. The Clan was crying out in despair. Bluestar slid into the river and into the camp, unseen by any cat. She quickly wove around Fireheart, and saw his head turn, but she was already gone. Lostface— _Brightpaw_ —was in the medicine den, sitting up, good ear pricked. Cloudtail was at her side, pressed protectively against her.

Bluestar leaned in, invisible, and touched her nose to Lost— _Brightpaw_ 's—head.

"Brightpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Brightheart," she whispered. "StarClan honors your love for all, your spirit, your soul, your courage, your unbreakable spirit, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Brightpaw raised her head, staring unseeingly through Bluestar. Her ear twitched. Cloudtail licked her cheek gently. Bluestar padded out, around her grieving Clan, past her own limp body lying in the clearing, and pressed against Fireheart as he prepared to settle in for the vigil.

"Brightheart," she whispered in his ear. "Call her Brightheart. Do all I was unable to, _Firestar_."

Fireheart turned his head again, but she was already gone, flying back to StarClan's grounds.

Oakheart met her at the riverbank. Her heart swelled until it felt fit to burst, so great was the love that sprang there.

"Oakheart," she whispered, rushing forward to rub against him. Mosskit burst from the trees and tumbled around her mother's paws. "And my little Mosskit," she purred, licking her lost daughter's head fiercely.

"We've been waiting for you, my love," Oakheart rumbled, pressing his nose into her fur. She found herself relaxing into his broad chest and wide shoulders, thick and plumy fur. She was happy.

 _Now… Now I can rest._


End file.
